Mantle of Power
by Mythomagik
Summary: The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore - Details the life of the Greatest wizard of all time: from a boy to a teenager, a man, and finally a mere, immortalized memory. "It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must."


A/N: This story is essentially a biography of Dumbledore's life. Naturally due to the length of his life this fic is expected to be long. While I will try to maintain accuracy to the best of my ability there are gaps in his life that need to be filled, and so i have created my own plot in the background. Therefore expect AU elements. Hopefully this story turns out better than Rita Skeeter's version.

Mantle of Power

Chapter 1: _Fate_

Many believe in the existence of a supernatural being or force in the form of a deity or in the form of something even more intangible such as fate or destiny. Most would argue that all people are born equal and as a result are made "equal" at death. Good and Evil along with Light and Dark can therefore only exist during a lifetime.

In the case of magic Light and Dark is defined by the wielder and how they chose to use their ability. Throughout Wizarding history there has always been a "light" side and a "dark" side. Light prevails over dark but in the course of time the light withers away in order to be replaced by the dark only in order to be conquered by the the light once more. This cycle is endless and yet the balance is always maintained.

This is where our supernatural being comes into place, let us label him as "fate" for simplicity's sake. Fate had the role of maintaining this balance but its powers are limited. It cannot interfere directly, its decisions are small but the were always accurately chosen: predominantly in the form of visions. Those labouring under an important decision received visions that showed the consequences from all options, the receiver was then allowed to make their own decisions. Fate deveined darker times in the future and was now forced to take action. Fate prefered options that required the least amount of interference: a small ripple to produce a current, and by doing so let things run their natural course.

It finally found what it was looking for. Fate raised its "hand" and changed the future. It balanced the future.

It was the summer of 1881 (AD) and in the humble, predominantly wizarding, village of Mould on the Wold that a young, first-time mother was giving birth to her first child. The village had several magical inhabitants along with a few scattered muggle families. It was located in a rural region in the south of England. At the moment, the thirty-year old, Kendra Dumbledore was experiencing a very painful time indeed. The Dumbledores lived in an average-sized cottage with a surrounding garden that would be deemed acceptable by their fellow neighbors. As was the case of villages at the time dwellings were scattered about and so fostered minimum interaction between neighbors. At the front of their house sat Percival Dumbledore, an honest hardworking man who also happened to be a pureblood wizard. The Dumbledores were not well-known in society due to their small size, and with Percival's assistance they had enough wealth to live a comfortable lifestyle at the time. Among many thing Percival cared deeply about his family -small as it was. At the moment his strong attachment towards his wife rendered him incapable of entering his home He could not bear the pain his wife had to endure and so he sat with his eyes closed and hoped for his family's welfare.

Inside his home was his younger sister Honoria and his own wife Kendra. It is not going well he thought as he refused to think about the worst. He also had a strong faith in his sister, who he knew was experienced enough to at least ensure Kendra's survival. Honoria lived nearby with her fiance, Hamilton whom she had no affection for. On the other hand, Honoria cared deeply about the only family she had and managed to abandon any uncertainty she felt while she aided Kendra. Sadly it seemed that she would never meet the newest addition to their family. But at times miracles happen, and this moment brought one with it. At last, the young child, a nephew it seemed was born.

Though exhausted, Kendra still had the strength to desperately demand, "Let me see him".

Honoria dutifully obliged upon cleaning her new nephew, who, she only now realised was completely quiet. Her eyes met a piercing blue "He has your eyes", she told her sister. She passed on the child to his mother, and swiftly turned to go fetch her brother.

She found him outside no longer with his eyes closed. He was gazing at the sky with a lost look on his face. "Come inside!" she demanded slightly annoyed at his, in her opinion, uncertain mood.

"Do you not wish to see your son?" she inquired.

Percival sighed "I am a Father now, I do not know what to do, what to feel"

Understanding replaced her annoyance "Theres a first time for everything. I would advise you to feel proud of your son and be happy. As for the rest the best I can tell you is to trust you instincts. They have always been right before".

"You are right" he whispered and in a new note of confidence he stood up and went inside.

When the siblings came to the room with Kendra the saw her holding a small bundle. Surprisingly there was no noise coming from the infant; which sent a momentary spike of fear through Percival. He relaxed upon seeing Kendra smile.

"He is perfect" she breathed upon finishing her examination of his facial features.

"Indeed" chimed Honoria, "He will grow up into a handsome young man".

With a small smile she beckoned Percival to come forward. Percival came forward and slowly took his son. In the back of his mind he noted Kendra's happiness. Kendra always dreamed about children. As a proud woman she wanted the best. Status and image meant a lot to her. As a muggleborn orphan she entered the world with very little and met struggle in her younger years. She dreamt big he knew. He also knew it was hard to satisfy her and hoped that she would not be filled with bitter disappointment should her aspirations be crushed. The child now had his attention completely on Percival upon observing his surroundings. Upon his face Percival noticed many of his own features reciprocated. His eyes held intelligence as well as something else...

Yes indeed, there was some benign innocence in them. Exhaustion finally caught up with KEndra and she fell into a slumber. Percival still examined the young infant, and now upon observation he seemed to be crying of happiness. "Thank you, Kendra you've made me a father" He paused and finally said to Honoria "I know what to name him..."

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" said Fate watching the birth of his creation. It too saw the child and its future flashed through its mind. Only what could be determined as of this moment of course. It knew that this one life could greatly change the world and it was unknown which path Albus would ultimately align himself with. Fate smiled satisfied something it rarely did and its last thoughts continued to echo in its mind as Fates attention was demanded elsewhere.

"We can all expect great things from you... Albus".

A/N: This is the last time Fate will appear. Fate will appear at the epilogue though. Honoria is mentioned in The tales of Beedle the Bard. I hope my characterizations were not OOC. There will be a small time skip between now and the next chapter.


End file.
